Yonjuro

Thanks H, I have some ideas for soundtracks, so will see what most people like and see what I can come up with. Thanks again for commenting - getting a smile is the aim, so this makes me happy

This was a play session earlier in the week, much of the same I am afraid, but this time Ronin is doing a nudie run :laugh: - We were at the park in between storms and there was no one there so I slipped off his harness. Regarding this vid - I am a bit undecided on whether the music this time is perhaps too sappy and loses the humour of the previous soundtracks?My feeling is that it doesn’t work as well, but then again I am not really a James Taylor sort of guy and thought I’d try a slightly different angle LOL. Please let me know your thoughts?

Hi there, I am sorry that you haven't had any responses yet on this or the one you posted in the health section. I have no experience with Cresties, but have a reasonable laypersons knowledge of skin care. Again I am not sure of specifics for the unusual nature of a crestie - but my thoughts are as follows; Any shampoo will rob the skin of the nature oils that the dog will use to self regulate skin condition. When bathing is necessary, I would recommend something all natural with no sulphates added and designed for sensitive skin. Perhaps look at the "Essential Dog" range of products. Calendula Tea would make a great alternative to shampoo as it won't rob the skin of oils and will be good for blackheads etc. I would recommend soaking a sponge or soft face cloth so you can wash this way, it will also stimulate the skin. There is a very long thread in the health section which goes through Calendula is depth. Coconut Oil will be good internally and possibly externally. I would make sure that your dog is not in the sun when the oil is still on the skin. It is pretty tasty so your dog may just lick it off where accessible. But a massage with the oil should be very good on occasions, and this will work as a moisturiser. A good diet is going to be the best thing for healthy skin. Hopefully some crestie people will see this and be able to give you better info that I have offered :)

Have you seen these ones RSA? http://www.bigappleherp.com/Hyper-Dog-Mini-Flying-Duck-Fetch-Toy http://www.jwpet.com/dog/tugdetails.html and http://www.jwpet.com/dog/tugdetails.html

Wow that is cheap,.. Also a good way to feed mince (assuming it doesn't have bone included) is to stuff a chicken carcass with the meat and a little liver and kidney, freeze and feed frozen. Kinda like an inside out chicken LOL, It takes longer to eat, and gives a great teeth clean. I suppose you could cut one in half for a smaller dog. This shows Ronin eating a frozen duck carcass stuffed with a steak and liver and kidney - not chicken and mince but the principle is the same. Obviously you can add veggies for more of a barf style. edit typos

Lovely shots everyone, but geez Grumpette, you really do capture the personality, fun and beauty of your wonderful dawgs

My vet would whole heartedly disagree with you - we had this discussion, among others, regarding what's an appropriate level of risk vs the advantages of socialising last year when we got our latest pup. The beach was high on her list of places not to take puppies not fully covered by vaccination when I wanted to get my pup out and about. Her advice was that there are plenty of places to socialise puppies where the advantages don't present an unacceptable level of risk to puppy's health. The tide doesn't come all the way up the sand cleaning the whole beach in every beach. I'm not having a go at you; just addressing your POV in comparison to what my vet recommended. I don't really care what your vet thinks. Myself, I would not take a litter of pups I bred to the beach but I can understand the benefits of getting them out and about early. What right do we have to tell them they are right or wrong? Just because your vet said so? I'm not sure what your reply is about so i'll try and address it in sections. "I don't really care what your vet thinks." - The OP started a thread for discussion; that's what we're doing...discussing and offering differing POV's. Maybe you don't care about a learned opinion such as a vet and that's totally okay, but in a forum platform it's totally appropriate to discuss what a knowledgeable professional has had to say regarding risk statistics and healthy practice. "Myself, I would not take a litter of pups I bred to the beach but I can understand the benefits of getting them out and about early" - I agree with you; i too wouldn't take a litter of pups to the beach - my rationale comes from the advice from my vet who has a learned opinion and discussed the world statistics regarding different vaccines and schedules with risk factors, so i would and did take her advice and didn't socialise my latest pup at the beach. I got pup out and about in less risky areas. I don't know what your rationale is for avoiding the beach but you have previously put forth that it's not because of the risk factor; your POV is welcomed in forums as is others addressing differing POV's. "What right do we have to tell them they are right or wrong? Just because your vet said so?" - I'm not sure what you're trying to say here in terms of what right do i/we have in telling them (the dog owners in the OP's post) they are right or wrong: is it that i can't have an opinion or posit a POV that has influenced my practice and comes from my vet whom i regard as a knowledgeable professional? You added an opinion - i discussed that opinion by sharing my experiences which were influenced by my vets learned opinion. I'm confused; if you think that we don't have a right to an opinion whether it be right or wrong, why did you post an opinion in the first place? You said that it was okay to take the pups to the beach in terms of health risk and i disagreed based on professional advice; no biggie, people disagree. We all have a right to post an opinion; it's a discussion forum - that's the point of the platform. I'm trying to address this but since i'm not sure what you're saying, i'm finding it difficult. I get the feeling (from the tone of your reply) that you're upset that i addressed your post; if that's the case, i apologise, as my intent wasn't to have a go at you personally (as i said in the original post), but i did want to address your comments by adding a differing POV and experiences (which included the advice i got from my vet whose opinion I value since she discusses statistics and research findings to justify her POV). Well, I appreciate your input Su and the manner with which you present your views. No anger or nastiness, so good on you

Have we ever stopped to think that the dog keeps bring back the ball and giving it to us because they think we love it more? :laugh:

A forced air blower will be the best investment you will ever make. Especially if she gets wet a lot. An undercoat rake with rotating teeth are also very good, I would stay away from any rakes that have blades e.g.. Furminator. It should be noted that as your dog gets wet a lot and you can't dry out the undercoat properly you may end up spending far more money with vet bills when nasty skin conditions start to occur. So the forced air blower will save you a lot of money, time and hassle :)

There is no way I will ever be bored with this thread Yonjuro I love it. I look for any new adventures when I log in and it never fails to make me smile. I think the title should be changed to something like " A year in the life of Ronin and Tigger" or " Ronin and Tigger's Excellent Adventures" Ok so The Spotted Devil used the last one but I'm sure she wouldn't mind :D Thanks so much HW, I'll keep posting as long as people keep commenting - thanks again for your comments :) Good ideas about changing the title.

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: When we both burst out laughing, poor Tigger looked at us sheepishly as if to say 'umm whoops" :D He did get lots of cuddles afterwards though.

I hope it works for you this time? And thanks for your comments :)

Probably bark muzzles. The US yard muzzles are fairly good (although not as good as the UK yard muzzles, which are lighter and better designed). A lot of greyhound owners here (pet owners) still use wire muzzles and honestly, these terrify me. Welds can break and when they do, it turns the muzzle into a mess of sharp wires.This is a bark muzzle. They're not all that different from the regular nylon sleeve muzzles pet owners use for things like vet visits. They work by not allowing the dog to open its mouth wide enough to bark. There are a few different styles (wire, apollo strapping and strap closure) but yeah.. same sh*t, different bucket. Oh dear, those bark muzzles would be dangerous if the dog can open its mouth to cool itself down I do appreciate that you are sharing your views that come from far more experience that I have. If the dog couldn't cool itself down it would be dead. Bark muzzles are permitted in the kennels and are safe to use. Ahh, okay I must have misinterpreted this :) As dangerous as any sleeve muzzle, really. If there's one thing I hate seeing, it's people walking their dogs with a sleeve muzzle on- dangerous, pointless things as a dog can still bite- trust me on that one :/The trouble with racing is that it could be okay. Remove the gambling, make it a hobby (no prize money) and only those who really loved the sport (and the dogs) would hang around. Unfortunately, it'll probaby never happen here. Thanks for the clarification :)

Probably bark muzzles. The US yard muzzles are fairly good (although not as good as the UK yard muzzles, which are lighter and better designed). A lot of greyhound owners here (pet owners) still use wire muzzles and honestly, these terrify me. Welds can break and when they do, it turns the muzzle into a mess of sharp wires. This is a bark muzzle. They're not all that different from the regular nylon sleeve muzzles pet owners use for things like vet visits. They work by not allowing the dog to open its mouth wide enough to bark. There are a few different styles (wire, apollo strapping and strap closure) but yeah.. same sh*t, different bucket. Oh dear, those bark muzzles would be dangerous if the dog can open its mouth to cool itself down I do appreciate that you are sharing your views that come from far more experience that I have.

I am great lover of animals, and would support that tighter controls were implemented if there can be a rational evaluation process :) I just think people need to be made aware of all of the facts before holding up placards - groups of the self righteous together are seldom restrained by reason or logic :) The one thing I do know for sure, is that I don't have all the facts :) I also think PETA are nut jobs edit typo

...yeah, I also heard the same about the US, my friend also mentioned that there was something about the particular muzzles they wear (where it is still legal) which sounded very bad. As mentioned previously, my only direct experience with greys is at the park and it has been wonderful. Talking to Tigger's owner she mentioned how the racing greys love love love the track. It sounds similar to the big sled races for Huskies, the dogs go nuts for it, yet there will always be a minority of bad owners and bloody PETA have been trying to stop the Iditarod for years. I am not a blind advocate for the racing industry as I don't know enough personally to make an impartial judgement one way or another. However, I do think that if snail racing became popular or a betting sport then there would be people up in arms about the animal's welfare regardless of how well they were looked after

Thanks Westiemum :) It is funny when another dog tries to engage Tigger, and Ronin will push his way in and then chomp on Tiggers head - gently :laugh: We are very lucky to get to watch these antics and Tiggers owner and I are always in hysterics at them. :) I'd love to hear what your US friends say, I get great satisfaction when I hear that these clowns have made someone smile or laugh. Thanks again for your comments :)

Yeah Y! We're just getting started! Their US fan club wants more! ! Great Thanks Westiemum :) I have some soundtracks picked out, just gotta get the right footage, these punks seem to spend most of their 1.5 hours together just wrestling these days :D

High kill rates are not restricted to unsuitable racing Greys. Huskies are another breed that end up in over populated shelters due to owners not doing their homework and not being able to handle this beautiful breed, BYBs are the biggest culprits in flogging this breed and others to uneducated owners. I believe that GAP are looking to get financial support from Racing and Wagering to allow for more Greys to be put through their program. I would actually be interested in figures of kill rates by breed in Australia to see where greys rank, If my suspicions are right then greys are probably not at the top of the list???

Many thanks SG! I will do :)

I have been very impressed with what I have seen of GAP greys and a couple of people I have met who are involved. Tigger who is Ronin's best mate is a GAP grey, he was diagnosed with a minor heart murmur and has found the most wonderful home. I have also met a number of GAP greys at the park and they have all been the sweetest of dogs. I don't know any associated politics so I can only comment on what I have seen, and what I have seen impressed me. My view on greys and the racing industry was not a good one, now that I have met some people involved and have had many many conversations with Tigger's owner, my view has changed for the better. If I had the space for another dog, I would, without a doubt be contacting Greyhounds as Pets.

Thanks so much DDD :) I was getting a bit concerned that people might be getting a bit bored with this thread, so I really appreciate you commenting :)

Thanks HW! As you probably heard it made us laugh so much. They were real clowns today, it was great as the storm kept everyone else away and it was nice and cool.

I am not sure if many are still interested in my videos and pics but I got a laugh out of this session this morning :) I haven't gone to the effort of a full production like in the previous two, but hopefully some get a smile or laugh out of the ending? Either way it is just a very short one :) Comments are always appreciated :)

Geez that doesn't sound good, they are supposed to be made for dogs that have had eye surgery.